Month: November 2023

For years, we’ve seen players who retire and enter the sports media often criticize the current generation for not playing the way they did, or saying the game is too soft or not as good as it once was. That’s why it’s always so refreshing when a former great goes the other direction and celebrates the game’s evolution and the talent in the league today.

Kevin Garnett is among the most prominent who does this in the NBA, as he marvels at what guys now are able to do, building on some of the things he helped bring into the league as one of the early hybrid big men. Garnett has been particularly effervescent in his praise of Victor Wembanyama, struggling to understand how someone 7’5 is able to move the way he does, handle the ball, and shoot. On a recent episode of Real Talk with Stephen A. Smith, Garnett told the ESPN talking head that he thinks the conversation around the NBA on TV shows and podcasts focuses far too much on the past and debating where people rank in NBA history, believing “we’re missing out on greatness right in front of us.”

Garnett highlights what LeBron James is doing at 38, Wembanyama is doing as a rookie, Nikola Jokic is doing “making Wilt Chamberlain roll over in his grave,” and Stephen Curry’s ability to “shoot from Mars” all being things we’ve never seen. I love hearing a Hall of Famer like Garnett say this, and while that doesn’t mean we should ignore or forget the past, but we should focus our conversation more on what is happening now and the incredible things we are seeing as opposed to constantly trying to find comparisons in the past.

Luh Tyler has gotten into the Thanksgiving holiday spirit. While most looked forward to the culinary spreads laid out for others to enjoy, the Tallahassee, Florida rapper is locked in on the plates of money he’s counted throughout the year. The XXL Freshman star follows his “Brand New Blues” and “Weeks” singles with a new reflective record. On “Change My Wayz,” Luh Tyler thinks about the progress he’s made in his career in less than one year.

“Damn, I gotta change my ways / Now it’s sixty on my neck, remember my chains was fake / ‘Member back whеn times were hard, we prayed for better days / But now I’m gettin’ paid / Now I’m bringin’ home them racks, I’m fillin’ up the safe / Now I make like thirty bands, that’s just to rock the stage,” raps Luh Tyler.

For the official video, he tapped directors George Buford and Cotto Over Did It to drive home the point that all of his hard work and high-life living is bigger than him. He does it to secure a legacy for all of his loved ones.

Watch Luh Tyler’s new video for “Change My Wayz” above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Luh Tyler has gotten into the Thanksgiving holiday spirit. While most looked forward to the culinary spreads laid out for others to enjoy, the Tallahassee, Florida rapper is locked in on the plates of money he’s counted throughout the year. The XXL Freshman star follows his “Brand New Blues” and “Weeks” singles with a new reflective record. On “Change My Wayz,” Luh Tyler thinks about the progress he’s made in his career in less than one year.

“Damn, I gotta change my ways / Now it’s sixty on my neck, remember my chains was fake / ‘Member back whеn times were hard, we prayed for better days / But now I’m gettin’ paid / Now I’m bringin’ home them racks, I’m fillin’ up the safe / Now I make like thirty bands, that’s just to rock the stage,” raps Luh Tyler.

For the official video, he tapped directors George Buford and Cotto Over Did It to drive home the point that all of his hard work and high-life living is bigger than him. He does it to secure a legacy for all of his loved ones.

Watch Luh Tyler’s new video for “Change My Wayz” above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to an 11-4 start to the 2023-24 season and look like a young team making the leap into being a real contender in the Western Conference.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams take the starring roles for the young Thunder, but Josh Giddey has also developed into an important piece in the starting lineup with his ability to be a secondary creator next to Gilgeous-Alexander. However, Giddey is now facing serious allegations of an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl after a photo that went viral this week on Twitter and TikTok.

On Friday, Giddey was asked about the situation twice after practice, saying he had “no further comment” and understood people asking the question but that he would not be speaking on it.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was also asked about the situation and likewise said he’d have no comment, calling it a “personal matter.”

It’s not surprising neither Giddey nor Daigneault would want to make an official statement on the matter right now, but at some point there will need to be an investigation to confirm details of the alleged relationship and determine what comes next in terms of potential legal problems Giddey could face, beyond whatever happens with the league.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to an 11-4 start to the 2023-24 season and look like a young team making the leap into being a real contender in the Western Conference.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams take the starring roles for the young Thunder, but Josh Giddey has also developed into an important piece in the starting lineup with his ability to be a secondary creator next to Gilgeous-Alexander. However, Giddey is now facing serious allegations of an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl after a photo that went viral this week on Twitter and TikTok.

On Friday, Giddey was asked about the situation twice after practice, saying he had “no further comment” and understood people asking the question but that he would not be speaking on it.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was also asked about the situation and likewise said he’d have no comment, calling it a “personal matter.”

It’s not surprising neither Giddey nor Daigneault would want to make an official statement on the matter right now, but at some point there will need to be an investigation to confirm details of the alleged relationship and determine what comes next in terms of potential legal problems Giddey could face, beyond whatever happens with the league.

Streaming services have become the way the majority of fans consume the music they love these days, and Spotify is the clear leader in the streaming space. That makes their tracking data significant, and fortunately, the company maintains the terrific Spotify Charts website. Their Weekly Top Songs charts can serve as a useful complement to the Billboard Hot 100 and offer further insight into what music is currently making music fans move.

Take a look at the the top 10 songs on the latest Weekly Top Songs USA chart (for the tracking week ending November 23) below. Check out the full top 200 list here, and if you’re curious about what the entire world is listening to, find the Weekly Top Songs Global chart here.

10. Drake — “First Person Shooter” Feat. J. Cole

Drake has certainly put his stamp on the end of the year with both For All The Dogs and the Scary Hours edition, and the former is still doing well with two songs in this week’s top 10.

9. Brenda Lee — “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree

While recently holiday seasons have been all about Mariah Carey, it’s Brenda Lee who’s leading the way this time around: Her 1958 hit “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” climbed a whopping 26 spots from last week’s chart and finds itself a few spots ahead of this week’s No. 13, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

8. Doja Cat — “Agora Hills”

Doja is riding some long-running momentum right now: She dropped the “Agora Hills” video back in September, and two months later, the song still sits at No. 8 on the latest Spotify chart.

7. Noah Kahan — “Stick Season”

Kahan is having himself a great moment: In addition to his hit song “Stick Season,” it was just announced he’s headlining the 2024 Osheaga Festival.

6. Drake — “IDGAF” Feat. Yeat

Drake it used to chart accolades, but this is a major moment for Yeat, as “IDGAF” became his first top-10 single in October.

5. Mitski — “My Love Mine All Mine”

It was a pretty close race for spots No. 5 to 2: Mitski’s song had a hair under 8.1 million streams in the US, while the song in the No. 2 slot had just over 8.4 million plays.

4. Tate McRae — “Greedy”

While McRae’s hit hasn’t completely taken over the US yet, it has been No. 1 on the daily global Spotify chart for 17 days now and is currently on top of the global Weekly Top Songs chart.

3. Taylor Swift — “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”

As the year comes to a close and the buzz around Swift’s recent releases starts to die down, the pop icon is starting to lose her grip on the Spotify charts, with just one song in this week’s top 10 (although No. 3 is certainly better than most artists could even dream on).

2. Zach Bryan — “I Remember Everything” Feat. Kacey Musgraves

Bryan and Musgraves’ collaboration has nearly reclaimed its peak at No. 1 after rising two spots from last week.

1. Jack Harlow — “Lovin On Me”

Harlow couldn’t quite grab No. 1 last week, but he did this week. This comes at a time when Harlow could use a win, after his widely criticized NFL Thanksgiving halftime performance.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Streaming services have become the way the majority of fans consume the music they love these days, and Spotify is the clear leader in the streaming space. That makes their tracking data significant, and fortunately, the company maintains the terrific Spotify Charts website. Their Weekly Top Songs charts can serve as a useful complement to the Billboard Hot 100 and offer further insight into what music is currently making music fans move.

Take a look at the the top 10 songs on the latest Weekly Top Songs USA chart (for the tracking week ending November 23) below. Check out the full top 200 list here, and if you’re curious about what the entire world is listening to, find the Weekly Top Songs Global chart here.

10. Drake — “First Person Shooter” Feat. J. Cole

Drake has certainly put his stamp on the end of the year with both For All The Dogs and the Scary Hours edition, and the former is still doing well with two songs in this week’s top 10.

9. Brenda Lee — “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree

While recently holiday seasons have been all about Mariah Carey, it’s Brenda Lee who’s leading the way this time around: Her 1958 hit “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” climbed a whopping 26 spots from last week’s chart and finds itself a few spots ahead of this week’s No. 13, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

8. Doja Cat — “Agora Hills”

Doja is riding some long-running momentum right now: She dropped the “Agora Hills” video back in September, and two months later, the song still sits at No. 8 on the latest Spotify chart.

7. Noah Kahan — “Stick Season”

Kahan is having himself a great moment: In addition to his hit song “Stick Season,” it was just announced he’s headlining the 2024 Osheaga Festival.

6. Drake — “IDGAF” Feat. Yeat

Drake it used to chart accolades, but this is a major moment for Yeat, as “IDGAF” became his first top-10 single in October.

5. Mitski — “My Love Mine All Mine”

It was a pretty close race for spots No. 5 to 2: Mitski’s song had a hair under 8.1 million streams in the US, while the song in the No. 2 slot had just over 8.4 million plays.

4. Tate McRae — “Greedy”

While McRae’s hit hasn’t completely taken over the US yet, it has been No. 1 on the daily global Spotify chart for 17 days now and is currently on top of the global Weekly Top Songs chart.

3. Taylor Swift — “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”

As the year comes to a close and the buzz around Swift’s recent releases starts to die down, the pop icon is starting to lose her grip on the Spotify charts, with just one song in this week’s top 10 (although No. 3 is certainly better than most artists could even dream on).

2. Zach Bryan — “I Remember Everything” Feat. Kacey Musgraves

Bryan and Musgraves’ collaboration has nearly reclaimed its peak at No. 1 after rising two spots from last week.

1. Jack Harlow — “Lovin On Me”

Harlow couldn’t quite grab No. 1 last week, but he did this week. This comes at a time when Harlow could use a win, after his widely criticized NFL Thanksgiving halftime performance.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

A key portion of Donald Trump’s base are evangelicals. Nevermind that they’ve thrown their support behind a twice-divorced trash mouth who’s allegedly slept with a porn star, isn’t much of a churchgoer, and can’t even hold a Bible right. They’ll almost certainly support him again in 2024. And they’ll almost certainly do it despite learning what he’s said about them in the past.

The Guardian has a new report on the forthcoming book The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism, by The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta. No surprise that Trump plays a key part in it.

At one point it delves into the then-future president’s early, fumbling attempts to court the evangelical vote, namely when he appeared at Liberty University, which was co-founded by Jerry Falwell. When asked to name his favorite Bible verse, he said it was from “Two Corinthians.” Any Christian worth their salt knows one calls it “Second Corinthians.”

Per Alberta, Trump did not enjoy the laughter that resulted. Nor did he like that Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, wound up endorsing not him but Ted Cruz. That sent Trump off, Alberta writes:

“When Cruz’s allies began using the ‘Two Corinthians’ line to attack him in the final days before the Iowa caucuses, Trump told one Iowa Republican official, ‘You know, these so-called Christians hanging around with Ted are some real pieces of sh*t.’”

Was this was a one-off incident, Trump simply blowing off some steam in the heat of the moment? Not according to Alberta, who writes that “in private over the coming years”, Trump “would use even more colorful language to describe the evangelical community.”

Will this finally cause the evangelical community to ditch Trump, maybe support one of his 2024 rivals, perhaps even actual Christian Joe Biden? Oh probably not. They’ve made it this far and put up with so, so much that they’ll likely ride this one out to the end.

(Via The Guardian)

Drake’s For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition was crowned as “his best work in years” by Uproxx’s Aaron Williams, and Drake is spreading the wealth this holiday season by making the instrumentals for all six Scary Hours Edition (first announced as Scary Hours 3) available for download on his DrakeRelated website.

Earlier this week, Drake challenged all the rappers out there on his since-expired Instagram Story. “Dropping the instrumentals this week,” he wrote (as captured by Complex). “I wanna hear who’s barring up.”

Like he did during his It’s All A Blur Tour, Drake made this into a scavenger hunt his aforementioned website. Click on the area pointing toward the door of the animated mansion, which will take you into the “Studio.” Once inside, a version of the For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition album art is floating above the couch. Click it, and the instrumentals for “The Shoe Fits” will automatically download (for free).

The “El Chico Studio” is where you’ll find “Wick Man” instrumentals. “Red Button” is hidden in “The Lounge,” and “Stories About My Brother” is up in “Bedroom.” We won’t spoil all the fun. Go ahead and try to locate “Evil Ways” featuring J. Cole and “You Broke My Heart” on your own.

As Brandy and Jon Batiste put on their chippiest holiday cheer for the cameras during the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, one musician used the viewership to roll out something special to them. Although she was not present on one of the day’s overly decorated floats, Beyoncé made a surprise appearance during the broadcast by way of her latest Renaissance concert movie trailer.

“Time is my biggest obstacle,” Beyoncé says in the clip. “It’s impossible to not realize how fast it’s going when you’re looking through the eyes of your children.”

The opening scene is adorably captured by her youngest daughter, Rumi, who she shares with husband and fellow musician Jay-Z. As Rumi’s bit-sized voice can be heard in the trailer, that’s not the only cameo viewers will quickly identify.

As Beyoncé remarks, “I think about all of my heroes, and all that they endured,” Diana Ross graces the scene. In other moments, Kendrick Lamar, Megan Thee Stallion, and each of the members of Destiny’s Child, past and present (Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, LeToya Luckett, and LaTavia Roberson) are spotlighted.

Watch the full trailer for Beyoncé’s latest Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé trailer above.

Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé is slated to hit theaters on December 1. Find more information here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.